Displacement
by Nautica7mk
Summary: Their boyfriends are not who they seem to be.
1. Act 1 of 6

**Title**: Displacement (1 of 6) **Author**: Nadia Mack **Disclaimer**: I Own Nothing **Rating**: PG-13 **Summary**: Their boyfriends are not who they seem to be. **Author's Notes**: Those of you that know me know that I can't stick to one storyline, and this particular plotline has been swimming in my head all night, it practically forced me to be told. So here it is. Don't worry, it's only six chapters.

_**Act One**_

_In Smallville…_

Lois Lane.

She's a woman of many talents.

It's unfortunate that cooking isn't one of them.

"This is a disaster." She looked at the non-delicacy she attempted to make for the fourth time in two nights. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Maybe you're thinking too much"

"Great. The one time I'm actually taking something seriously, it blows up on my face. No pun intended"

Her companion laughed.

"Look at it this way, you've found four ways how not to make Italian cuisine"

"How very Benjamin Franklin of you"

He laughed again.

She frowned. "It's not funny." She threw her heating pads in the sink. "I don't see why you keep encouraging me to cook. I'm much more handy with a phone in one hand and a menu in the other."

"I can't help it." He grinned. "You look cute in an apron." He leaned down and kissed her. "And what's with the flour?" he asked, brows furrowed. She had flour all over herself.

She shrugged.

He simply shook his head in amusement and leaned down to kiss her again, a gesture she was more than happy to return.

"I'll race you to the shower?"

She smirked. "You may be the king of the seas, but you're in my land now."

"Is that a challenge, Lane?"

"Depends. You up for it Curry?"

After a moment, he picked her up. "On second thought, let's go together"

_In Metropolis…_

Clark Kent.

He's a man of many talents.

He didn't think being a bad boyfriend would be one of them.

"It feels wrong sitting here with you playing video games when I should be spending time with Lana back in the dorms"

Chloe spun around from her seat, giving him a sympathetic look. Not all is well in the land of Lana and Clark.

"You two haven't been together like that for a while, huh?"

He nodded, albeit shyly. "Not since I got my powers back"

"I'm sorry"

"Don't be. It never should've happened in the first place," he admits, sadly.

"I know how much you want to be with her. Have you guys talked about it yet?"

He shook his head. "I've been ignoring it"

"Yeah, skillfully, too"

He sighed. "I don't get it, Chloe. We worked so hard to be where we are, and now that we're together – It's not what I expected"

"Maybe that was your problem to begin with. It was always about expectations between the two of you. You've held each other at high esteem for so long; you never really gave yourselves a chance to fall in love. You already thought you loved her"

"I do love her," he shot back defiantly.

"Clark, who are you fooling? It's certainly isn't me. I've known you a long time. And I live with Lana. As your friend, I'm being honest and telling you what I see. You like to watch her, but it's obvious it doesn't feel the same way when you're with her"

"Great, so now I'm a stalker," he snarked, bitter.

"If my cousin were here, she would've riddled you with verbal bullets right now." She was even tempted to call her.

He chuckled, the first sound of him coming alive all night.

Chloe realized a couple of weeks ago that the only thing that seemed to lighten his mood since he and Lana had begun fighting, was mentioning Lois every chance she gets. It always did the trick for some odd reason.

She smiled to herself. Her older cousin can still put Clark in his place even when she's not around. She certainly wasn't surprised to see the three of them become close friends, even if in fact Lois didn't know everything about Clark.

What Lois knew was enough, and though Clark will never admit it, he was grateful for it.

Chloe looked back into her computer screen. One window had the Weather site in view. It looks like Smallville will be downing some heavy rain all night.

He watched the clothes on the weather map hover dangerously close to Smallville.

"I should run back over there, make sure nobody gets hurt in the storm"

She agreed. "Be careful Clark," she said, but once she looked back, he was already gone.

_Back in Smallville…_

Lois left the warm confines of her bed to watch her boyfriend stand out in the middle of the street in his boxers, soaked and wet. "You do realize it's pouring rain out there?" she asked loudly against the pouring rain, tightening her long rain coat in the process.

Arthur Curry loved the water.

"Come on! It feels great. Don't worry, I'll keep you warm." He smirked confidently back to her.

"That may be so but for how long?"

He jogged his way back to her, cupping her face with his hands and pulling her in for a deep kiss.

"You're getting me all wet." She smiled until she saw a flash of lightening hit something just beyond the distance. "Oh my god. Did you see that?"

"Yeah," he replied. "You stay here, I'm gonna go check it out"

"AC"

"Relax." He lifted her one hand and brought it to his lips. "I'll be right back. I'm just gonna make sure that nobody was hurt." He let go and ran to the direction where they saw the lightning hit.

She watched him leave, a part of her worried that he could get hurt, and another glad that he cared enough to check it out.

As Arthur neared the destination, he caught the sight of a semi-truck flipped on its side in the middle of the road. He rushed for to help.

"Is anybody THERE?" he yelled, jumping up, he broke the passenger door easily. He saw the driver inside and he looked very hurt. "It's gonna be all right buddy, I'm gonna get you out of there." He had no idea if he was even alive.

"Arthur?"

Arthur turned and saw Clark standing behind him, drenched as much as he was. The Smallville native looked surprised to see him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Help me. There's a guy stuck inside"

Clark x-rayed through and saw the driver, he had several broken bones and moving him upright would no doubt cause some kind of irreparable damage.

"Wait!" He speeded to the other side of the fallen truck.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"The driver. He's hurt pretty bad. Get off, I have an idea." Arthur jumps off and met Clark on the side. "What's your plan – " before he could finish his question, Clark effortless lifted the trick from the side back to its rightful position.

Arthur stands, amazed.

"Bro, that was cool"

Clark didn't reply and went ahead to carefully remove the injured driver out of the truck, laying him down flat on the ground when another lightning strike hits the concrete ground besides them.

Unbeknownst to them both, beneath the asphalt, there were green meteorites below where the two young heroes stand, the lightning strike giving it a charge electrifying them both, throwing them apart.

Arthur was fazed from the shock. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know." Clark blinked once. Then twice. He sees flashes in the distance. "Let's get out of here before they see us"

They both start to run, and Clark felt he wasn't running as fast as he should be. He slowed down when a force hit him, nearly knocking him unconscious.

He felt the bruise behind his head and noticed something strange.

"AC?"

"Clark?"

They both stood, looking at one another. Shock evident on their faces.

Clark was looking at himself.

Arthur was doing the same.

This was not how they imagine their nights going.

**To be continued…**


	2. Act 2 of 6

**Author's Notes**: Because I let my promise down to update _Just Married_ this weekend, I'd post Act II. So Clark and Arthur have switched bodies, now don't get confused right now. Until Clark and Arthur are with other people that don't know they've switched, I'm going to continue using their names properly until a distinction is required.

**Act Two**

_Continued In Smallville…_

"This can't be happening," Arthur mumbled through the cornfields, in the middle of the night, in Clark Kent's body off all things. "We've got to fix this." He stops and looked at himself, something he won't get used to. "What's the plan?"

"A plan? I don't know what happened to us, AC, or I would've had it fixed by now"

"You're completely useless, you know that," Arthur returned angrily. He could only imagine what Lois would think of the situation.

"What are you doing here anyway? In case you've forgotten, Lex could still have it out for you"

"I could take care of myself. And why I'm here is none of your business." He kicked a rock right out of the park. Arthur is floored. "Whoa"

"Do you mind? You could hurt somebody," Clark said, concerned about his powers and what Arthur may use them for.

"Come on, man! You can't blame me for that. There was barely any pressure there"

"It doesn't matter. Look, my powers aren't like yours okay"

"Yeah, I kinda noticed"

"You have to be careful with it. I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me"

Arthur gets aggravated. Not something that usually happens unless some spoiled rich brat starts ruining the oceans. "Dude, I've had my powers for as long as I can remember. It's a part of me. Enough with the 'Uncle Ben' talk. I know a thing or two about responsibility, all right. Now calm down and let's fix this thing so we could all go back to normal."

_Normal_. Clark hated that word. He's not normal. As long as he had his powers, he'll never be normal.

_A few minutes later…_

It was still dark and raining and the two headed to the farm.

"Why here?"

"My parent's will help us out. We can't do this alone"

Arthur thought otherwise, but goes along with it for the sake of them both. It's strange, being in the company of somebody with great power, and now he had it. It was kind of cool, in a non-maniacal kind of way.

_Half an Hour Later…_

"And you guys are sure you don't know what happened that caused this?" Jonathan asked once more.

"Like we said…" Arthur spoke out of turn. "We were helping the driver out, this lightning comes out of nowhere and then ZAPS! Here we are"

Martha sat down besides Clark who was in Arthur's body with obvious concern. "Could it have been the crystal?"

He shook his head, already going over the possibility. "It can't be"

"What crystal?"

"It happened last year, me and Lionel Luthor switched bodies"

"You're kidding me, right?" Then a pause when none of the Kent's looked amused. "No, I guess you're not joking"

"We'll figure out a way, but in the meantime, you both are going to stay here"

Arthur stood up. "Can't do"

"Excuse me," Jonathan said.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kent, but I have to be somewhere"

"Where?" Clark asked. "You're in my body remember. Where exactly are you going to go? The last thing I need from you is blowing up another one of Lex's labs"

Martha and Jonathan exchanged worried glances. "What lab?" They both say simultaneously.

Clark shyly dropped his head. "Doesn't matter." He looked back towards Arthur. "You can't go anywhere until we're back to the way we were"

"I can't do that"

"Why not?"

"Because I'm here for a reason"

"And what reason would that be?"

"None of your business"

"Hey, you're in my body. It is my business"

"Kids. Knock it off. We're not getting anything done if you two keep arguing like this." Jonathan turned to Arthur, it was a little hard to do since he looked exactly like his son, but he's going to have a go at it. "We need to work together, here. Most likely, you two are going to have to lay low for a while"

Arthur didn't like the sound of that one bit. "It's Lois," he revealed softly. "I'm here for her," he added, surprising everyone.

Almost everyone.

"You're seeing Lois?" Clark didn't know what else to ask. He shouldn't be surprised considering that they were kind of close the last time he was in Smallville. But he was. "How long have you been seeing her?"

"Three months," both Arthur and his mother answered.

Clark looked at his mother incredulously. "Mom, you knew about this?"

Martha shrugged. "Lois and I talk"

And then, something sparked inside of him. Leaping to conclusions, "Does Lois even know what you are?" Clark questioned almost coldly.

That was the final straw that broke the camels back. Arthur knocked him down with a cross to his right face. "I wouldn't do that to her!" he said audibly. "She knows everything about me, okay! I could never be with anyone if I couldn't be honest with them." And with that, he used his new powers and super speeds away.

Clark was on the ground, lightly touching the bruise on his face, even if it wasn't his face, it hurt incredibly.  
"I guess I didn't handle that well"

Jonathan lends his hand to help his son up. "Everything is gonna be all right, son. We'll figure something out"

"I hope so"

* * *

Arthur made his way up the stairs in the Talon and in front of Lois' door. Looking, dressing and sounding like Clark; for the first time, he felt really nervous. Ever since he and Lois got together three months ago, everything has been perfect.

_Two Months Earlier…_

Swimming off the coast in a private beach in Florida, Lois, in her nicely fitted two-piece bikini, swam alongside Arthur Curry, whom she met in Smallville several months ago.

"How long have you been here?" she asked, splashing water to his face. He didn't mind seem to mind at all.

"All my life," he replied truthfully.

She looked around, admiring the oceanic view. "I can see why you love it so much"

"It's quiet here. People leave me alone"

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

"Absolutely not"

She smiled, relieved. "I was surprised when you sent me that postcard. It was a bit ambiguous, you know"

"I figured if you really wanted to see me, you'd figure out what it meant"

"So you're a psychic as well?"

"Not really," he smiled. "People have pointed out that I can be intuitive"

"And arrogant"

"No, just confident," he corrected. Arthur sees something in the distance and a thought comes to mind. "Do you trust me?"

Lois didn't know what the question implied exactly. "Uh…"

"Do you trust me?"

Lois nodded. "Yes. Yes I do"

"Don't freak out, then"

"What?" All of the sudden, a dolphin rises beneath her and she instinctively grabbed its dorsal fin. "Holy – "

"Don't worry, he won't hurt you"

"He?"

"His name is Darwin"

"Darwin?" After the moment of temporary shock faded, she raised the facade that everything was peachy. "What, you named him after the English scientist who formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection?"

Darwin starts to move a little fast, making Lois hold on a little tighter. She had no idea how Arthur was making the dolphin do this. He must've worked at an aquarium at one point.

He grinned at her intellect. "Actually, it's his name because he said so"

"Huh?" Suddenly, another dolphin surfaced, and Arthur grabs on. "Wow!" The two dolphins and their human companions start racing across the clear blue ocean. Just them and no one else.

Los never felt freer than she did at that moment.

During the night, they spent hours talking together cuddled next to a warm fire and a blanket. They could hear the ocean come to life in a chorus of music. It left her speechless.

"I'm sorry. It's gotta suck not to know where you come from"

"It does, but that doesn't stop me from living my life." He held her tighter, his chin resting on her soft shoulder. "For as long as I can remember, I've always felt connected to the sea. It's where I'm the happiest"

"Yeah?"

"Well, next to you, of course"

She gave out a lowly chuckle. "I still can't believe you actually talk to marine animals. What do you talk about with them? Fish, fish and more fish?"

He laughed. "They can be great conversationalists"

"I won't argue with that"

"That's a first"

Under the blanket of the moonlight, they share their first kiss since they parted.

_Present Day_

Arthur willed himself to knock on the door. It flew open almost immediately and suddenly, for a brief moment, everything was okay again. And then reality hit him like a ton of bricks and she looked at him with near disdain.

"What are you doing here, Clark?"

He had nearly forgotten that she and Clark were just tolerable friends. At least, that's what she described their friendship to be.

"I was umm…" he gulped, words weren't coming out as fast as they should be, or at all. "How are you?"

She looked at him oddly. "Okay"

"Well then, see you around." He turned and walked briskly away, cursing himself for acting out irresponsibly.  
"Clark, wait!"

It took a second for Arthur to realize she was actually referring to him. He stopped abruptly and turned.

"Yeah?"

"Is everything all right?" she asked in a sincere tone.

"It was really pouring hard outside, I just wanted to make sure you were all right"

"Okay," she nodded appreciatively. "I'll see you later then"

"Yeah, later"

_At the Kent Farm_

Clark paced around the living room like a madman. Arthur has been gone for two whole hours. Where could he be? He was driving everyone crazy with worry.

"I'm sure he'll turn up. He seems like a good enough kid"

"I know. I'm just worried he's out there doing I don't know what with my powers"

"It's nice to know you have so little faith in me, Kent." Arthur walked into the living room, completely broken. "I went to see Lois"

"You did what?"

"Hey, she's my girlfriend," he reminded him. "I came here to spend time with her, not play 'freaky Friday' with you, superboy. I'm sorry if I'm feeling a little bitter about how things have turned up"

"How serious are you two?"

"And again, that's none of your business." Arthur turned to Jonathan. "Do you mind telling your son to stay out of my business?"

"You're not the only one suffering, here!"

The two suddenly get into a full blown argument. Thank goodness for the phone ringing or else it would never end. After taking the call, Jonathan hung up and sighed. The look of worry on his face wasn't lost on Clark and Arthur.

"What is it, dad?"

"That was Chloe. She and Lana are spending the weekend here while her father is out of town"

Clark sighed, clearly distraught at the news. Great, that's just what they didn't need.

**To be continued…**


	3. Act 3 of 6

**Author's Notes**: Dum, da dum dum, dummmm…. Act III is here. It's a pretty straightforward storyline that won't require chapters upon chapters upon chapters to tell it. Honestly, some things are meant to have an ending. ssteph, you flatter me with your kind words. Thank you. Artist, as requsted, here's the next chapter :). GypsyGirl, a lot's gonna happen and I hope you enjoy it.

**Act Three**

"Okay, whatever you do, do NOT make a move on my girlfriend"

Clark looked at himself – no Arthur – appalled. "I don't see Lois like that. We're just friends." To further express how he doesn't think of her in that light, he adds, "I have a girlfriend too, you know"

"Right. Whatever." They reach the rear entrance of the Talon. Arthur was growing nervous by the second. "Remember, you're just there to tell her that you needed to see your dad back home right away"

"Yeah. Dad called me. Need to get back right away. Got it!" Clark gives the plan a thumbs up.

Arthur shook his head. "Don't ever do that again"

"You need to calm down; I've known Lois longer than you have"

"Have you ever been with her?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. Have you ever dated her?"

Clark shook his head. "Or course not!" he replied wholeheartedly.

"Exactly my point. You don't know her at all." He opened the door and pushed him in. "Don't screw this up, Kent. I'll kick your ass if you do"

Clark ignored him. This was Lois they were talking about. It didn't matter what he claimed. He knew her very well. This would be a piece of cake.

He went through the back door; it was near the time it would take for Lois to open up the Talon, so he made his way through the ground floor and up the stairs. He knocked a couple of times and waited.

It was all or nothing.

The door opened. Clark had everything recited in his mind but before he could utter even a single word out, soft lips pressed passionately against his own.

"Thank god, your okay," she whispered by his ear, her arms wrapped around his neck. Once she let go, she gave him a forced nudge on the shoulder.

"Hey, what was that for?"

He had to take a moment to compose himself. He didn't see the kiss coming at all.

"Last night." She looked angry. Now this is the Lois he was accustomed to. "Where were you?"

Clark (as Arthur) opened his mouth but found himself unable to explain. "I lost track of time."

Her face softened. "Was anyone hurt? I saw the news. There was a semi that supposedly flipped on the road along the highway"

"How's the driver?" he asked, concern all over his face.

"He's gonna make it just fine"

He sighed in relief. "That's good"

"I got worried when you didn't call. Are you okay? Are you hurt or anything?" The show of affection coming out of her went by completely unexpected for Clark. He had never seen her worry this much about another person's welfare besides Chloe's, or at one point, her younger sister Lucy.

"I'm sorry for not calling," he apologized in surprising sincerity.

"It's okay." She hugged him again and this time, Clark found himself returning it. "I'm just glad you're alive"

He smiled weakly, what on earth was he doing?

"Are you hungry?"

Clark turned worried. Was she going to cook for him?

She chuckled. "Relax Aquaman, I was going to ask one of the girls to cover for me for an hour this morning after I open up so we could get some breakfast. After last night's disaster, did you honestly think I was going to attempt making bacon and pancakes. I swear, I have no idea how Mrs. Kent does it perfectly. It's like food brought down by **God** himself"

Clark laughed, heartily. His mother's cooking always has that affect on people, but never quite as flattering as to the way Lois puts it.

He stuffed his hands in his pocket, the original plan going out the window as fast as he could normally run. Arthur was gonna kill him, for that he was certain.

Lois went to her bedroom and removed her shirt. Memories of the night in Metropolis where Lois danced in her two-piece red, white and blue swarmed his consciousness. This was not the best time to be having that kind of memory pop up.

"Could you grab my jeans by the sofa?"

Clark raised his eyebrows and slowly moved to the couch. Arthur's clothes were all over the place, and so was Lois's. He gulped. Things are serious between them.

"Here you go," he dropped it on her bed quickly, leaving her be.

Lois noticed his discomfort. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah," he crossed his arms, looking away. "Just fine"

She smirked, amused. Since when did Arthur Curry suddenly become shy? She went ahead and switched jeans. She headed to the living room where Arthur stood almost uncomfortable. She touched his shoulder lightly, turning him around.

Clark looked down as if seeing Lois for the first time. There was a lot of caring and genuineness and possibly, love in her eyes. It practically radiated off her without it being dominant.

"I – uh…" he remembered the plan, but only vaguely. Her lips drew nearer and Clark found himself unable to sway from her advances.

"Lois… I – " The doors bursts open and Arthur (as Clark) appeared. "Hey Lois, sorry to interrupt. I'm gonna borrow AC here for the minute"

"Whoa. Wait a second, Smallville"

"Later, Lois." The door suddenly closed shut, confusing Lois completely like she has never been before.

"What just happened?"

Arthur pulled him into the alleyway and was tempted to punch him again.

"What the hell do you think you were doing?"

"What? I was following the plan"

"That's bull! You were going to kiss my girlfriend. I heard you!"

Clark's eyes went wide. "You were listening on us?"

"Don't try to make me feel guilty. It's not like I knew how to stop it. I was worried about what was happening and the hearing thing just kicked up. And all of the sudden I could see through walls." He turned angry. "And you making a move on my girl when I perfectly said _don't_"

"She came onto me!"

"She's my girlfriend… what did you expect? Bottom line. You were supposed to keep yourself in line." He sighed, clearly annoyed. "You don't see me throwing myself at your girl, do you?"

"Clark!"

Arthur sighed. Being him lately sucked big time. He plastered on a fake smile and turned around. "Lana!" She tried to kiss him on the lips but he quickly swerves to give her a light kiss on the cheek. "What are you doing here?" he asked, though disinterested.

"Spending time in Smallville, I haven't been back as much since going to Met-U." She slid her arms around his waist. "I've missed you." Arthur wanted this to end. Like right now.

Clark watched Lana with himself, or Arthur, and feeling kind of weird about it. Not upset. Not envious. Just weird.

"Hey Clark," Chloe joined them.

"Hi…er…" her name is a blank space in Arthur's mind.

"Hey Chloe, it's good to see you again," Clark spoke out, as Arthur. Covering for himself.

Chloe looked curiously at them. "A.C. What brings you back to our landlocked town?" Barely met her for a couple of minutes and already the questions start pouring in.

"Umm…" now it was Clark's turn to be tongue-tied.

Arthur couldn't take this anymore. "He's dating Lois," he answered for himself.

Lana and Chloe looks incredibly surprised.

"Dating?"

Chloe smiled. "Way to go, cuz!"

Arthur let out a smile but quickly schooled his features so as to not get caught. "Let's get inside, I'm dying to get the 411 on my cousin," said Chloe cheerily.

Arthur continued to chuckle as he is being led inside by Lana. That, he could do without.

Clark sighed behind him. This wasn't going to end well.

_Inside the Talon_

"Lois!" Chloe called out to her cousin.

Upon hearing her name, Lois turned with a full tray and when she saw the whole damn town hanging around her boyfriend she nearly tripped over if it wasn't for Clark, who quickly yanked his arm away from Lana to keep her from falling.

"Umm… Thanks, Clark."

Arthur (as Clark) smiled. "You're welcome"

Lana looked between the two curiously. "Lois… so… you and A.C.?"

Lois threw Clark (as Arthur) a dangerous glance.

"How long have you two been together, cuz?" Chloe cut in, she was ecstatic at the news.

_An Hour Later…_

All five of them chatted around the booth, Lana and Chloe in lively discussion. Lana barely giving notice to Clark, for which Arthur had appreciated, but it wasn't the same with Lois and Clark (as Arthur).

While the revelation that Lois and Arthur was no doubt surprising and exciting to everyone, she had quickly adjusted, sitting next to him closely, their hands intertwining underneath the table, grinning at each other with significant glances. It was driving Arthur insane.

A cell phone goes off.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's my Aunt Nell calling. I gotta take this. I'll be right back," said Lana, getting up.

Arthur breathed freer now that she was gone.

"Ooh, that reminds me, I've got to call the Planet, I'll be right back," said Chloe, leaving too.

How convenient?

Now that the three of them were alone, Lois looked between the two like she knew there was something out of place.

"What's going on here?" she asked inquisitively.

"What do you mean?" Clark (as Arthur) asked.

"Everything's fine," answered Arthur (as Clark).

"I called the hospital. The truck driver claimed he saw two people rescue him, and that the truck was in no doubt tipped sideways. Even the news reports find it odd that the entire truck's side is wrecked. Oh, and let's not forget you being out all night." Lois looked at Arthur sternly. Then she looked at Clark. "And you barging into my apartment this morning – Not cool!"

"Lois, we could explain," Arthur (as Clark) jumped in.

"No. It's okay." Lois waved it off on Clark (as Arthur). "You always seem to have an uncanny way to be at the right place and at the right time – so you helped A.C. get the driver to safety, I'm grateful. I'm glad he had back-up." She looked at her boyfriend and smiled.

Clark didn't know what to say except, "Thank you"

Arthur sighed. He just had to open his mouth.

Lois though, found the remark from her boyfriend a little out-of-place. "Uh, you're welcome"

Lana and Chloe suddenly returned.

"I got to leave guys," Lana said.

"Oh, that's too bad." Arthur said without an ounce of sincerity. Clark kicks him underneath the table, hurting himself in the process.

Baffled by the way they're acting; Lois walks Lana and Chloe out.

Once they were out of view, Arthur lays it out on him.

"What the hell was that about?"

"What now?"

"You're all over Lois, that's what"

"I'm pretending okay, you might want to try it sometime"

"With her?" he pointed to Lana outside, laughing. "Are you insane?" He stops and rethinks that. "Well, I guess you are"

"Don't talk about her like that"

"I was referring to you"

"Don't talk about us like that! You don't know anything about us"

"And judging by her cold-shoulder display here in the last hour, no wonder. Gotta hand it to you, Kent. For a powerful guy, I haven't got a clue what you see in her"

"I've loved her for a long time, if that's what you're asking"

"Uh huh, sure." Arthur turned and x-rays though the walls hoping to catch a glimpse of Lois. "These vision powers you got are amazing, bro"

"Will you knock it off, it's not a toy"

"I'm just making sure she's okay. Man, you're uptight"

Clark sighed. Their predicament wasn't getting any easier.

Lois returned and looked at Clark coldly. "You have a girlfriend outside ready to take off to Metropolis. Aren't you at least going to say goodbye?"

Arthur sighed. His game face on. "Of course. I was just giving you ladies some time alone." He gets up and throws Clark a 'you owe me' look.

Lois takes the seat opposite Clark… err… Arthur.

"Can you believe him?" she said, disappointed.

Clark goes on the offensive. "Maybe you should cut him some slack."

"Unlike the rest of this town, A.C., I don't pretend that it's okay. He spends majority of his time lusting after her and now that they're together, it still isn't good enough for him. As great of a friend he is, he's not all that"

Clark shifted uncomfortably in his side of the booth. Is that how Lois really thinks of him?

"Do you always talk about your friends behind their back?"

Lois isn't bothered by the comment. "If Clark was here instead of you, he'd be hearing the same thing you are now. I'm don't bow down to the alter of Clark. I never will"

"So it's pride?"

"Not pride, fact. There are billions of females on this earth and he goes for the most emotionally unstable one"

This is news to him. "I thought you liked Lana"

"I like her mostly for my cousin's sake, and I'd like to think I'm not naïve, so I give her the benefit of the doubt. She has her moments, but I personally don't think she's worth it."

"If that's how you feel about her, I can't imagine what you think of Clark"

"You wouldn't want to," she said with a wink. "Let's get out of here," he moved around and took a hold of his hand.

His eyes go a little bit wide.

"What about…"

"What about him? Clark's gonna be just fine. Is it a crime to spend time with my boyfriend? Come on, I missed you last night." She brushed her hand through his hair and Clark wondered if he could handle himself around her when he's making her feel things he's always wanted to feel with Lana, and what's worse, she's not even trying.

"Lois – " She shuts him up with a kiss.

Arthur was really going to kill him now.

"Where do you want to go?"

**To be continued…**


	4. Act 4 0f 6

**Author's Notes**: Another day, another chapter. It's pouring rain outside and it's seriously cutting into my happiness. There's just something about rain that gets me tired almost immediately. I'm not quite sure what it is, but it's there.

**Act Four**

Clark knew he shouldn't have left the Talon with Lois, but ever since this whole body-switch thing happened, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like being with her. Does that make him a bad person?

"Are you all right, A.C.? You haven't been acting yourself lately"

He grabbed hold of his wandering thoughts and looked at her sheepishly. "Have you ever thought about Clark as something other than a friend?"

She raised her eyebrows, silent until it was followed by a small chuckle. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

He shrugged.

Yes, apparently he was.

Lois inhaled deeply and thought about it for a moment before answering.

"He's a good guy, but I've never really thought about him like that. He's kinda untouchable so that's probably one of the reasons why I've never considered it"

Her answer piqued his interest.

"What do you mean untouchable?" he continued to inquire, curiously. She couldn't possibly know about him being an alien, could she?

Lois had no idea where Arthur's line of questioning was coming from, but she didn't back down from the question, so she answered it anyway. She had nothing to lose in that respect.

"I've known about him, even before we met. It didn't exactly paint him in a good light, so I already had these preconceived notions of him before actually meeting him"

He realized what she meant. "Chloe?"

She meekly nodded.

"What happened after?" he couldn't help but press the question. A part of him wanted to know even though another part of him dreaded the answer.

"People change, I guess. Whether the change is good or bad, I could never tell with him. I'm just glad my cousin's over him. I hate seeing her unhappy"

Even though her words hurt Clark more than he ever thought it could, her devotion to her cousin Chloe has always been one of her most endearing character traits. He could never get angry at her for that.

"Would you ever see him differently?"

"Okay, now that's a strange question to ask me. Have you forgotten that we're seeing each other?" She asked with a laugh.

He chuckled. No he didn't forget. Actually, it's all he could think about.

"Just curious." He mouth felt dry all of the sudden. "I'm getting kind of thirsty"

Her face glowed. "I know the perfect place"

_Twenty Minutes Later_

"That was your perfect place?" he asked, laughing.

"What?" she replied innocently. "What's wrong with Baskin Robbins?" They spent the last fifteen minutes inside a Dunkin Donuts Baskin Robbins store, ordering Bold Breeze's for their lunch snack.

They talked easily in the next half hour, walking through town until something caught Lois's eye.

"Let's go in there"

"Where?" He turned and saw the store she entered.

_Ruby's Aquarium_

Clark walked into the small store that contained dozens of fish tanks along three shelves. He's been in here before, when he was little, window shopping with his mother. He liked swimming but he never really craved to be in the water like Arthur does so often.

As they stared into the fish tanks, he finds himself with the ability to attract all the fishes. He wasn't quite sure how he was doing that and it was freaking him out a little bit.

"Go ahead, talk to them"

He looked at her like she was out of her mind. "Excuse me?"

She laughed. "You can communicate with dolphins, whales and great white sharks but you can't say hello to a little gold fish. Why do I find that amusing?"

"I could talk to fish?" Realizing that he wasn't Arthur Curry and that there were things about him he has yet to know about, he quickly tries to recover. "Right. I mean…" looking inside the tank, he felt like swimming suddenly.

"Do you want to leave?"

"Can we?"

"Sure," she replied softly, without questioning him any further about the matter.

He was more than grateful.

_Outside…_

"What happened in there?" Lois asked, concerned. "I've never seen you freeze like that before. I'm sorry; I thought you liked places like those"

"No," he assured her. "I liked it very much," he added in hopes he channeled Arthur's personality well enough to appear genuine. Being someone else has never been so hard. Not even when he was Lionel.

Then again, he was trapped in prison so he shouldn't complain.

"This doesn't freak you out?"

Once again, Lois is confused. "Why would it?"

"You act like its normal"

"You're going to have to explain a little deeper there, A.C. I have no idea what you're talking about"

"These things that I could do. It's not normal," he said bitterly, more for himself than anything else. Lois didn't know he was referring to more that just water balls and talking to fish.

Lois gives him a stern gaze. "Normal? Is that what's been bugging you all day?"

"It's something I've been thinking about"

"That's new to me. You've always treated your gifts with respect, when did all these insecurities pop out?"

"It was just a question, Lois"

The tone in his voice reminded her a little too much of a farm boy she knew. She grows angry.

"Okay, first of all. You are normal. Your gifts, they're what's normal to you. You grew up with them, and if I didn't know any better, I'd go as far and say that you were born with them too. It's not abnormal to be different, and I don't see why it's bothering you."

She moved to leave when he stops her, pulling her in and hugging her tightly.

"Thank you," he whispered to her ear.

Lois was hesitant to react, but she did so anyway and returned his embrace.

"Ahem!"

Lois and Arthur part and see Clark standing in front of them, looking positively angry. Far angrier than Lois has ever seen him.

"Hey Smallville," Lois greeted him, completely unaware that her boyfriend is trapped in Clark Kent's body.

Arthur glared at Clark for slipping away with his girlfriend.

"Hey Lois, could you give us a minute?"

Lois looked between them, while curious; she remained respectful of their privacy. She moved to kiss him on the cheeks before leaving them alone.

"I'll see you tonight"

Clark gulped, revealing a forced smile. "See ya"

Once she was out of ear shot, Arthur remained where he was for the next few seconds. It was starting to disturb him.

He held his hands up in protest. "It's not what you think, Arthur."

Arthur, in the guise of himself, spoke calmly. "Kissing Lois. Having a stroll with her. Hugging her. Is this what you meant about not seeing her in that way, because, seriously bro, I see it far clearer than these x-ray vision specs you have imbedded in your eyes?"

"We're just friends"

He doesn't believe him. "News flash. Are you forgetting that you're in my body? She thinks you're me, and I can tell that you're seeing her differently, not that I can blame you entirely, she's amazing"

"What do you want me to do?" Clark was tired; he just wanted this to be over with so he could live his life in solitary, like he's meant to.

"We're telling her the truth. Right now would be nice."

Clark's eyes shot up. "You can't do that"

"I'm tired of all this hiding. Lois is the first person I've ever met that I can actually be myself with without owing anyone anything, and I won't apologize for not wanting to lose that"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be – "

"That's exactly your problem, Kent. You're not trying at all. You think because you're me, you can take over my life? You have one of your own, what the hell makes you think you can touch mine"

"Because I'm jealous, all right!" he yelled at him.

Arthur looked at him suspiciously. "You're jealous of me?" Clark didn't say anything. "Dude, what planet are you from?"

"You really don't want to know," he joked bitterly.

"Bro, you can run faster than I can swim. You can see through walls, hear really far. You're invulnerable, for God's sake. And friends. You've got lots of them including two parents that love you. What is wrong with your life, exactly?"

"You don't understand"

"I understand better than you think. You seem to be forgetting a lot of things since we've switched bodies, but I'm not exactly human either, you know"

The revelation surprised him.

"What do you mean?"

"It means, I don't know where I came from. My dad found me drifting in a basinet when I was a baby. I don't know who my biological parents are. All I know is that ever since I can remember, I knew I was different. And I'm at peace with that"

"You're a lot braver then I am then"

"It isn't hard, Kent. Accept where you are and live your life"

"It doesn't make it any simpler"

"If life were simpler, there wouldn't be much life to live now, would there?" Arthur lets out a deep breath. "You do what you gotta do, but I'm telling Lois now"

He walked away…

Clark didn't stop him.

**To be continued…**


	5. Act 5 0f 6

**Author's Notes**: You know, I originally posted this on the Plot Recommendations thread inside the Writer's Room, but then I realized, nah, I'm taking this to the mattress. wink

**Act 5 of 6**

Lois stood in front of Clark Kent who claims he's really Arthur Curry in Clark Kent's body. You'd think for a girl who's been possessed twice, this was something she would take with absolute seriousness, but instead, she breaks out into fits of laughter.

Clark, who really is Arthur underneath all the plaid he disliked, frowned. "That's not funny"

She tried to control her laughter. "I'm sorry… it's just… you can't honestly think I could believe something so ridiculous, I mean, come on!"

"I'm serious, Lois. If I was really Clark, would I say something like this to you?"

"YES"

He's forgotten how much those two like to torment each other. "All right. Bad example"

"This is what we do, Clark. We try to get each other when we least expect it. Now you're telling me that a thunderstorm somehow caused you and A.C. to switch bodies. Seriously, I've got to draw the line somewhere"

"He's not lying," said someone else. Arthur stepped out from the shadows. "He's telling you the truth. We've switched bodies and we have no idea how to switch it back."

Lois stepped back, processing the new information.

"Tell me you're joking"

Neither of them does.

She pointed to Arthur. "So you're Clark Kent?" Then she points to Clark. "And you're Arthur?"

They both nod in response.

As the implications sank, she held in her anger as she recalled everything that's happened since the morning. It all made sense to her now in a warped-out sort of way. She looked at Arthur's body with incredible disdain. "You pretended to be my boyfriend?" Before Clark could even answer, she turned to the other Clark with her real boyfriend in him. "And you let him?"

"We didn't want you involved," Arthur said truthfully.

She pointed to Arthur's real self. "I kissed him," she suddenly blurted out, a sudden acknowledgement hammering at her without a moment's hesitation. She looked at Arthur… Clark… whoever. "I _kissed_ you?"

Clark puts his hands up. "Only briefly"

"She was there, Kent. I'm sure she knows that," said Arthur, crossing his arms sternly across his chest. He didn't like this anymore than the next person.

Clark is slightly annoyed.

She puts a hand to her forehead and Arthur (as Clark) immediately worries. "Are you okay, baby?" he reaches to touch her but she flinches back.

She felt weird to hear her boyfriend call her affectionate names in Clark's voice. "Please don't call me that." And she wasn't upset over the body switching, it was more the fact the real Clark played with her emotions. She didn't know if she could trust herself around them right now without the call for violence. She was kidding with the last part.

"I'm sorry," Arthur said, hurt that she pushed him away.

Clark stood in the background, now unable to utter even a single word out. He wasn't sure if he should. Maybe they should've told her sooner, that way nobody would've gotten hurt. It was too late now, the damage has been done, and a lot of the trust that he and Lois have built for the last couple of years are suddenly unraveling.

It scared him to think he was losing her friendship.

So that's when he finally found the courage to speak.

"We're sorry for misleading you," he said in Arthur's voice. He still won't get used to it but he'll work with it anyway. "And I'll be honest… with the both of you"

Lois looked at him, concern and skepticism mixed across her features. Arthur on the other hand didn't know what Clark was planning.

It's worried him.

"The plan was simple," he began while he calmed his nerves at the same time. "I was suppose to see you this morning and tell you that I had to go back home for a few days to give me and A.C. some time to figure out how to fix this, but then, but then you kissed me and I panicked."

She digested the information. "You panicked." She recalled what happened earlier in the morning. "Because I kissed you?"

_That didn't seem so bad, she thought._

"I panicked because I liked it." He lowered his head, fearful to see their reactions. As far as he's concerned, at the moment, he wasn't the most powerful person there.

_She takes that back, it was worse._

Arthur turned, upset over the changing events. He came to Smallville to spend time with Lois, but instead, he was fighting for her affections against an opponent he hadn't had a clue was even there.

"I'm sorry," Clark said finally. 

He turned around and walked away, but that didn't matter, because even though he left, a part of him stayed, and it's her boyfriend wearing his face.

Lois slowly fell to rest on the curb, her mind bustling at a thousand directions. Arthur stood a good foot apart from her. He sat down as well, unable to make himself leave.

"Not the weekend I hoped for," he uttered despite the situation.

She looked at him and for the first time since she met him, Arthur, not Clark, she couldn't see past the face he wore.

"It's just weird, that's all." She turned her face away. "He asked me things, when he was pretending to be you. And it confused me. I kept thinking, why would you ask me that? Now I know why"

"He's not really me"

"I know"

"We'll figure this out. I promise"

"Take it back"

"What?"

"Don't ever make promises. It's something I learned not to do a long time ago. I know you guys will figure it out. You two have got this hero-complex thing going on." He chuckled as she continued. "I have all the confidence in the world that you'll figure out a way to fix this"

The entire time she said that, she kept her face looking anywhere but his. Arthur reached out and cradled her chin with his finger, guiding it back to face him. Even though he wore Clark's face, she has to know that it's still Arthur beneath it.

"Please don't kiss me," she pleaded softly but without much conviction.

He kissed her anyway.

Once their lips touched, Lois found herself reciprocating it without the tiniest bit of reluctance.

He is Arthur Curry in Clark Kent's body, and he's kissing her. She's Lois Lane and she's kissing Clark Kent.

Not good.

"What the HELL is going on?"

Lois and Arthur broke apart to find a very angry Lana Lang standing behind them that you could almost see her burning up in flames.

"Lana?" Lois choked out, words caught on her tongue.

"We could explain," added Arthur, but to Lana, he was Clark and what she just saw him do was a slap to her face and to the relationship they worked so hard to have.

"Don't!" She pointed at him, hatred in her eyes. "I can't believe this! All this time, and with her!"

Lois wanted to say something until the sight of Arthur, no Clark, stood hidden in the alleyway, shaking his head, telling her silently not to refute Lana's claims. For a moment, she thought he had gone absolutely crazy when she realized that his relationship with Lana has been on the rocks long before any body swapping happened.

Guiltily, she didn't say a word and continued to take the heat from Lana even though, technically, it was unfounded.

She was the one being lied to all day and now she's covering for Clark. When did her priorities suddenly get screwed up?

"I don't ever want to see you guys again," were the last words she heard.

Lois spent most of the beginning, middle and end of Lana's outburst by tuning them out. Words like lying cheat and selfish bastard somehow snuck their way out of her sound barriers.

When Lana was finally gone, Clark appeared onto the sidewalk.

Arthur looked at him uneasily. "Bro, were we just responsible for breaking up with your girlfriend?"

Lois shook her head, chuckling a little at the sudden turn of events. The only positive thing that's coming out of this at the moment was that she gets to see less of Lana Lang, and that's always a good thing.

The negative, besides that her boyfriend is Clark and Clark is her boyfriend… confusing much? Anyway, Lana is no doubt calling her cousin Chloe right now and telling her how Lois Lane practically cheated with her boyfriend in broad daylight.

She could only imagine the impending phone call she will no doubt receive from her dear younger cousin.

On second thought, pissing Lana off isn't that that bad of an idea, especially when she didn't really do anything wrong. It wasn't like she kissed Clark…err… Arthur first.

"Lois?"

"Huh?" she answered absentmindedly. "Did you say something?" She had totally missed out on the boy's conversation.

"Clark figured maybe we should head to where this happened, and maybe we'll find something we may have missed"

"Sounds like a plan," she agreed, surprising them both.

"So you're okay with this?" Arthur asked, hopeful.

"I can't ignore it anymore than you can." She eyed them both. "But I want to clear some things up before any other misunderstandings occur"

"Okay," said Arthur.

"Sure," said Clark.

"There will be no kissing of any kind…" she does a horizontal circle in mid-air, indicating that she was pointing to everyone. "… between the three of us. Accidental, boyfriend or otherwise. Is that understood?"

Arthur starts to protests by raising his hand but Clark pushed it down. "You're gonna lose," he said with obvious experience.

Arthur relented. "Fine"

"Good." She looked at Clark. "You?"

He shrugged which was followed by a weak nod.

Lois walked ahead of them while Arthur and Clark followed behind. "That wasn't a very convincing no, bro," Arthur whispered to him.

"Enough with the _bro_?"

Just so Arthur could irritate him more, he replies, "Sure thing, _bro_."

Clark ignored him. Sometimes he'd wonder what it is about Curry that Lois finds so attractive.

Upon arrival, the clouds crowded and the sun disappeared. It starts to rain. The three of them searched for anything that would indicate what caused the lightning to switch them.

So far, the boys have found nothing.

Lois on the other hand, couldn't stop looking at the spot where the lightning hit. There were cracks lined along the road. Curious, she lifted a loose chunk of asphalt from the ground. When she saw nothing peculiar underneath, she got ready to put it back when she caught a glimpse of tiny green speckles from under the piece she held in her hand.

"Guys, I think I found something"

Arthur ran to her side, but halfway to her, he collapsed in pain.

"A.C!" Lois dropped what she held and went by his side immediately. "What's wrong?" She held his head on her lap. "CLARK!" she screamed.

Rain kept pouring, drenching them wet.

Clark appeared out of the cornfields and saw Lois on the ground with Arthur on the ground, moaning in pain. He rushed to his side.

"What happened?"

"I don't know," her voice covered in worry and panic. "He just collapsed." She pressed her lips on his forehead and whispered. "It's gonna be okay"

Clark froze as he watched Lois care for himself. It was hard for him to differentiate the fact that Arthur currently resided in his body, but just seeing her there, by his side, giving words of strength, it brought out something in him.

A longing.

A dream.

Lois' panic stricken voice pushed him out of his frozen state.

He realized that there's only one thing in this world that could hurt him. He searched around and found it.

Kryptonite.

He grabbed it and threw it as far as he could and ran back to their side.

"Are you okay?"

Letting out a cough, "Yeah. I think so"

"What was that?"

"It doesn't matter"

"Like hell it doesn't matter, it nearly killed you – him – Dammit!" With everything that's just happened, she could barely get the two straight.

"I'm okay, Lois"

"I'm gonna call an ambulance," she leaves to grab her cell phone in the car.

"Lois wait!" She didn't know that Clark, the physical Clark wasn't human. He doesn't need an ambulance.

Then suddenly, a lightning bolt appeared out of nowhere, hitting the ground between Clark and Arthur, the remaining meteorite fragments beneath their feet giving off a charge, throwing them apart like it had before.

"Oh my god." Lois raced out of the car and to the nearest person. "Are you okay?" she held Arthur up kneeling from the ground. She hugged him tightly, making sure he was okay.

As she wrapped her arms around him, his own arms made it around her, and he didn't want to let go. "I'm okay," he whispered, squinting his eyes to see the real Arthur Curry in his real body approached them slowly.

He didn't say a word.

Even though the envy between them had become thick, Arthur let Clark hold Lois this one time.

That was almost enough, until he realized he had to let her go.

**To be continued…**


	6. Act 6 0f 6

**Author's Notes**: God, I hope this last chapter works. This story doesn't have the stereotypical happy ending that most shipper stories normally have, but I had to break out of the norm, you know. Let's hope it worked out respectively. And what's with the whip?

**Act 6 of 6**

It's been a couple of days since the incident on the highway. Clark had purposely made himself scarce in Smallville. He ended up spending his days in Metropolis with Chloe and telling her everything, but sadly, he chickened out in telling Lana anything at all.

"You could still salvage your relationship with Lana, Clark, if you would just tell her what really happened"

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter who I pretend to be anymore, I'll never escape who I really am"

Chloe smiled sadly for her friend.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." She picked up her bag and grabbed her coat, leaving Clark alone in Met-U's library. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yeah, sure"

Chloe leaves.

"What do you want A.C.?" he asked across the empty room, of course, with his enhanced abilities, he knew for the last couple of minutes, he and Chloe weren't alone.

"Just wanted to swing by to see how super boy is doing." Clark let out a brief smile; Lois's knack for nicknames must clearly be rubbing off on him. Arthur continued. "I'm heading back south for a while. My dad really called me this time"

"No offense, A.C., but how did you find me?"

"Lois," he answered. "She called her cousin earlier and said she'd be in the library most of the evening. It was a 50/50 shot, and it wasn't really out of my way, I just wanted to say thanks for looking out for her"

Clark was unconvincing in his following reply. "Yeah. Right"

"I know you like her," Arthur said, getting right to the point. "It's kinda hard not to, you know. Whatever it is you're keeping from everyone – and I can tell that it's not just your powers – I'm not lying when I tell you that you don't have to hide it from her"

Clark knew he was right. He depended on Lois for a lot of things. Things he is just beginning to admit to. From the moment they met, she has never done anything to deliberately hurt him. Chastise him, yes. Annoy him, very. Get him to brood not as much; it's become a regular occurrence.

How could he have not noticed any of this before? It didn't matter now, she was with Arthur, and she looks happy.

Arthur began to exit when Clark asks, "How did you do it?"

He stopped and turned. "Do what?"

"Get through to Lois?" Clark paused. "It's no secret that she and I get along like oil and water. We're not exactly the best of friends, at least not in the way that I am with Chloe"

He smiled. "She's Lois. I would want to be more than just her friend," he said knowingly.

"Lucky you, then"

"I don't know what the future has in store for us, Kent. But don't give up, you'll find the one for you someday"

Arthur disappears out of the double doors, leaving Clark alone once again.

"Maybe I already have," he whispered to nobody.

_Smallville, Kansas_

Clark ran back to Smallville. He had his classes to attend to on top of the chores he needed to get finished. He couldn't ignore the town forever, there's too much about the place pulling him in.

"Hey Smallville," Lois greeted, stepping out of her SUV and walking towards Clark who just started stacking piles of hay.

"Lois," he greeted forcefully.

Clark couldn't help but see her differently now. Nervous. Stressed out. Lack of coherent sentencing during verbal output. She wasn't even wearing a necklace made of Kryptonite, so that made it even more serious.

"How are you?" She asked.

He nodded, avoiding eye contact. "I'm okay"

She opened her mouth ready to make a quip when she held it back in the last minute. "You've been ignoring me," she said, not making an attempt to even tip-toe around the circumstance. She just barreled right through without hesitation.

"I'm not ignoring you"

"You don't return my phone calls. You don't insult me. I don't catch you moping around in your fortress of brooding."

That got a chuckle out of him. "In my defense, you only called me once." He grabbed another stack of hay and piled it right on top of the other. He looked at her this time, removing his gloves. "And I don't mean to insult you"

"Don't try to be my knight in shining armor, if you could take my heat, I can certainly take yours. Need a hand?"

"No, but thanks" 

He turned towards the barn and Lois followed him in-step. 

"We're gonna have to talk about what happened soon or later, Smallville. All this awkward silences are well, awkward"

He sighed, turning to her. "What do you want me to say?"

"Anything"

"Will it matter?"

"I won't know till you say anything"

"You're not going to like what you're gonna hear," he warned her, hoping that she'll drop the subject.

"You let me decide that and we'll take it from there"

He wanted to groan in response, but he knew too that if he kept this bottled up inside, it's going to do more harm than good.

"How's A.C.?"

"He's fine, but you're changing the subject"

"Would it matter much if I told you I don't want to talk about it?"

"No"

Lois could be relentless when she wanted to be, he mused. "Fine." He stomped up the stairs leaving a trail of aggravation behind.

Lois smiled victoriously.

He moved to the couch, sitting on it. Elbows resting on knees, he played with his fingers. He looked like he was trying to straighten his thoughts. That was a notion Lois could live with, the last thing either of them wanted was a misunderstanding.

"You're different with him," he said softly that Lois barely heard him.

"What?"

"Arthur," he said a little louder. "You're different with him"

She furrowed her brows, trying to comprehend his words. "I'm different with him?" she repeated.

"Yes"

For a moment, she didn't understand until she realized what he meant. "Oh." He nodded. "You mean – " He nodded some more. "But you and I are – " Now she was getting it. "Wait. No…"

"I warned you, didn't I"

"But we _don't_ like each other like that"

He shrugged, and it annoyed her. "You're in love with Lana. Remember her? The love of your life? The girl you've had a crush on since you were like – " she waited for him to finish it.

He sighed first before answering. "I was young okay"

"See! There you go! Those feelings don't just change overnight, or in our case, over switched bodies"

"Except I've been falling out of love with her for a while now," he revealed.

Lois could swear she was hearing the wrong things. 

"Huh?"

"Me and Lana have been growing apart for a long time, and we're holding on to something that was never really there in the first place"

"I'm sorry, _huh_?" She emphasized again.

"Seeing you with A.C. brought out a lot of the problems I have with Lana," he admitted truthfully. "I can never feel comfortable telling her everything, and that's what I'm supposed to feel right, comfortable?" He stared into Lois's eyes pleadingly. "If I love her, why can't I go there?"

"I don't know how to answer that, Clark"

"Please, tell me"

"Honesty runs both ways. Maybe, and this is just a maybe, I don't pretend to be a psychiatrist in the matter but, perhaps there's something she isn't telling you either that's preventing you from trusting her completely"

He swallowed hard, afraid of an answer like that. "I think a part of me will love always love her, but I can't help feel that I haven't felt real love"

"Why do you look so hard?"

"Why don't you look at all?"

"Hey, since when did this become about me? We're talking about you, remember?"

"My feelings for you are changing, and I'm not going to pretend it's not happening. And I'm certainly not going to rationalize it like I know what it all means." He stood up, as he surprised her with his words. "I like you, Lois," he said, looking out into the falling horizon. "You can take that however you like, but that's how I feel"

She had nothing else to say. Not right now anyway.

"I'm gonna go"

"Arthur's lucky to have you," he said sincerely.

She smiled, albeit weakly. "Anybody would be lucky to have you," she returned, equally sincere. "And if Lana doesn't see that, then she never deserved you to begin with"

He watched her leave.

_Metropolis University_

Clark was hanging out with Chloe on campus, Lana was spending the weekend with her Aunt Nell so there was little to worry about when Clark was there. They were still on non-speaking terms. She refused to hear Clark's explanation and he found himself not caring to tell her either way.

It spoke volumes about where they were in their relationship. Or lack thereof.

Chloe looked up from her text book and noticed Clark googling flower shops all over the country.

"Clark, what are you doing?"

With his eyes still on the screen, he says, "I'm trying to find all the known lilies they sell in the country."

"I can see that. But why are you doing it?"

He smiled to himself and answered vaguely. "It took me a while, but I've finally figured out what I wanted." He spun the chair around to meet Chloe's curious gaze.

"And what's that?" she asked.

Clark didn't answer, he simply smiled his response. Chloe has never seen him look so upbeat and happy. There were sparks in his eyes and no, it's not his heat vision she's referring to.

He turned back to the computer and closed the windows.

"I'll see you later, Chlo." Swoosh! He disappears in a blink of an eye. 

Chloe's curiosity was running rampant and she quickly went on the computer to see where he had been.

She grinned.

She should've known.

_The Torch  
Writer's Profile  
Name: Lois Joanne Lane  
Born: West Germany  
Favorite Flower: Lilies  
…….._

**The End**

**End Notes**: You honestly don't think I was going to have Clark take this sitting down, did you?


End file.
